46 - Don’t Let Money Go Down the Drain: Smart Ways to Save on Water Heating

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We all love a long, hot shower, but did you know that water heating accounts for nearly 20% of your home’s total energy use? It’s the second-largest energy expense in most households, right behind heating and cooling. That means every time you turn on the tap, wash a load of laundry, or run the dishwasher, you’re paying not just for the water itself, but for the energy it takes to heat it. The good news is that you don’t have to take cold showers to save money. With a few simple adjustments—most of which cost nothing—you can significantly cut your water heating bill while maintaining comfort. From simple habit changes to smart upgrades, here’s how to keep your water hot and your bills low. 1. Lower Your Water Heater Temperature Most water heaters come from the factory set to 140°F. Not only is this temperature unnecessarily high for most household tasks, but it also poses a scalding risk. By lowering your water heater’s temperature to 120°F, you can reduce standby heat losses and save ...
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36 - My Working Lunch: A lot of food for a really great deal!

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Today, I found a website called clipp.com - it's by the same people that send me a weekly "magazine" of local ads and coupons. I noticed that they only had a few restaurants near me, but one of those restaurants is within walking distance of my house and I had only been there a couple times, so I checked out the offer. Clipp.com was offering $30 of food for $15, but it was on sale for $10.50 today (which I realize is probably always available for that price!).

Since I was thinking I wanted to go out to lunch somewhere that has free wifi so I could write my next chapter of my upcoming book, I thought this place was as good a place as any, so I read the terms of the deal. It said that I could use the coupon any day Monday through Thursday (today is Wednesday), I had to dine in the restaurant (no takeout), and I had to spend $30 or more to get the deal. 

I jumped onto the restaurant's website and looked over their menus. They had a dinner menu, lunch menu, and specials menu. If I order everything before 2pm, I get everything for about 25% off the dinner price - not bad! Since $30 is way more food than I can eat by myself, I decided to order a personal pizza for myself and an iced tea, and I ordered a Chicken Vesuvio for my mom, who doesn't really dine out anymore, so I'm bringing it to her tomorrow for lunch. I only ate about half the pizza and ate one of the big pieces of chicken and a potato wedge, and I worked for two and a half hours before asking for boxes and taking it all home with me!

Here's how the costs broke down:
  • A $30 gift certificate cost me $10.50.
  • My bill came to $36.38, meaning that I still owed $6.38.
  • I tipped on the full cost of the lunch, so I gave $6.62 for the tip.
  • So I paid $17.12 total today.
This is going to sound like a math problem next... :) The personal pizza is normally $13.50, plus $1.50 per topping, but its lunch price is $10.50 with the same price for toppings. I added pepperoni and mushrooms, so my pizza cost $13.50.

The Chicken Vesuvio normally costs $19.00 but the lunch price is $17.00. The iced tea cost me $3.50. The restaurant charges a 3% service fee, plus there were several taxes applied. This all explains how the bill came to $36.38. (My waiter accidentally charged me $19 for the Chicken Vesuvio, but I didn't mind - I was getting a good enough deal.) So if you add in my tip of $6.62 to the $36.38, you get $43.00.

So I saved $25.88 today against the lunch prices, and $28.88 versus the dinner prices (although I should have saved another $2.00 on the Vesuvio). 

If $17.12 still sounds expensive for a lunch, I want you to know that I got four meals out of it! My mom will eat two meals of Vesuvio, and I still have half a pizza for tomorrow's lunch! :)

The moral of the story is that you can double up on some offers to really save money! (1) Buy a Groupon-like gift certificate, (2) eat during lunch time or order off the specials menu, and (3) order a refillable drink if you plan to stay for awhile.

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